Okay, this one’s actually more like an amusing writing tool, but now you can link your slang to definitions on the web. In 2003 a smart chap at Cal made, as a project, a slang dictionary. I think he’s probably graduated by now and given up on every trying to finish it — language and linguistic subcultures multiply faster than cells divide. Frankly, I get more out of watching an episode of Kim Possible than out of this dictionary, but should you be in need of old-school slang that you mostly already know, check it out.
Should you be in need of a Chinese name you can always find it and other helpful hits on the Mandarin language on this nifty site.
Finally, I’ve found my fantasy writing greatly expanded by reading information posted on the Orb. ORB stands for the Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies. These are factual, scholarly and sometimes deeply involved and labyrinthine dissertations on medieval fact. Now, how cool is that?
Happy writing.
Speaking of medieval information, here’s a great site on medieval names. It’s a research project on medieval names and armory which is primarily for people involved in the SCA. I did a freelance project a while back that involved baby name origins and found this site while doing some research…